Gray Bolio (Epiphany)
THEME: Grayson "Gray" Jeremiah Bolio is a character in Epiphany. Gray, the youngest of the Bolio family, is noted for being incredibly intelligent and a model child at his family's church. He interpreted Bible verses and wrote skits on them from a young age, and has also written poetry based on word definitions on a daily basis to expand his vocabulary since the third grade. Gray loves the world around him and is excited by the prospect of seeing new things and bringing light to others; optimism glows from him. He treats the church like his second home, with dreams of taking on the challenge of ministering to people all over the world as a missionary someday. Emotionally burdened and a bit scared of his own shadow, Gray tries to toughen up like his big brother Dylan, as they are forced to fend for themselves in a cold and unforgiving world. Personality Awkward and quiet, Gray doesn't necessarily not get along with others, he just finds himself uncomfortable around people. He often gravitates to new people; he can make an easy impression on them and make them feel welcome, especially in an environment where he is comfortable and noted – like at his church. His intelligence makes him feel like an outsider. People are not easily impressed by a kid who knows-it-all, and he's learned that the hard way. When he does open up to people, though, he reveals an optimistic and sweet demeanor. He wouldn't harm a fly. Gray has an enormous heart and brain, his hurdles come with learning which to trust in any given moment. Gray's vulnerability is in his own lack of self-confidence. Although he trusts that God has a plan for his future, Gray doesn't quite know how to believe in himself or his own abilities. Gray oftentimes feels battered and attacked by the people around him. He takes the smallest things personally and cries himself to sleep often. He has an issue in seeing things from many perspectives; some may say this is a good thing and a blessing, but Gray only sees it as a hindrance. He is unable to appreciate his own point of view. He likes to take account others' opinions and is easily swayed and misled. His naivety and ability to react on emotion and not on logic in a crisis can make him an easy target for those to manipulate, and people can mistake his heavy faith as a byproduct of his gullibility. History Pre-series Gray grew up at Christ Community Church in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and takes everything he does with the church very seriously. His father Anthony, a former Navy SEAL, taught the family self-defense techniques. Gray excelled in shooting all sorts of firearms. Gray was always close to head pastor, Robin Haggerty, who helped fuel the boy's dreams of ministering to people. In third grade, Gray began writing poetry based on word definitions in order to help him express emotions, as well as expand his vocabulary. Their father went on a trip for his job a month prior to the plague. Immediately following the collapse of the government and the plague's explosion through the States, Gray, Dylan, and their mother Enid took refuge at the church. Book One: Revelation Gray is introduced sitting at his friend Dominic's bedside. Dominic has succumbed to the mysterious illness and is very sick. He has prayed at Dominic's bedside continuously. Having been told by Pastor Liz to deliver a message to his brother, Gray goes into Dylan's "man cave" and wakes him from a nap to tell him that Pastor Liz wants to talk to him. After service the next morning, Gray tried to find Pastor Robin for a study session and meeting, but didn't manage to find him where he usually was. He went to his office, and found him with his mother, Enid, crying. Gray was sent to find his brother, and brought Dylan to Robin's office. The family was shown a video Enid found on her laptop, of their father Anthony describing that he and his team discovered a meteorite that is the origin for the virus that is spreading. He stated that he was stationed in London at the time of the video message being sent. Gray and his mother cried and held each other in response to the shock the message sent, and Dylan later joined them. Gray, fueled by fear of what would become of his sick friend Dominic in the wake of discovering the true nature of the virus and what it will do the infected, snuck out of his room that night as his family slept to sneak Dominic out. He planned to bring him food and hide him outside of the church, to keep him protected. Dylan, unbeknownst to Gray, followed him to the infirmary and informed him of how stupid his plan was. Gray realized he was thinking with his heart and not his head. As they headed back, they were approached by the pastors, Liz and Robin, who were heading into Dominic's room to pray over him. They urged the boys to go back to bed. The next day, it was announced that Dominic had passed away overnight. Gray participated in a prayer service that morning and retreated quickly, finding that he was thinking too much about the possibility of the pastors having some sort of involvement in Dominic's death. Gray hid in the stall and wrote one of his daily "definition poems", meaning he flipped to a random page in the dictionary and chose the third word on the page to write a freestyle poem about. The word he ended up on was 'murder', causing him to freak out. He wrote the poem and poured his feelings onto paper. Dylan walked in and asked why Gray was crying, looking over the poem and reassuring his brother that he wasn't crazy or sinful for having these feelings. Appearances Theme Trivia *As the youngest of the siblings, Gray can be seen as an equivalent to Ben Bolio from Eden Rising. *Gray's middle name, Jeremiah, means "whom the Lord has appointed". Like his brother, his middle name is Biblical. *Gray's technique with the "definition poems" was inspired by a book he once read that had narrative poetry. The book in question is "The Crossover", by Kwame Alexander. Category:Epiphany Category:Epiphany Characters Category:Characters Category:Remixed Eden Rising Characters Category:Protagonists